Broadband wireless networks, based on various standards, for example Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.16e based Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) standard and its evolution to IEEE 802.16m, provide various types of services, such as voice, packet data exchange, and the like. In order to provide such services, control information needs to be exchanged between a mobile station (MS) and a base station (BS). The control information is generated by various protocols running at the MS and the BS. Typically, wireless communication standards beyond 3rd Generation (3G), for example 3rd Generation Partnership Projects (3GPP), Long Term Evolution (LTE), IEEE 802.20, and IEEE 802.16e-2005 (mobile WiMAX) use management messages to exchange the control information.
A wireless communication network environment includes one or more base stations (BSs) and one or more mobile stations (MSs) that communicate with one or more BSs through one or more wireless communication network standards. The one or more wireless communicator networks may use different types of communication technologies. For example, the wireless communicator network includes networks that comply with the Mobile WiMAX (based on IEEE 802.16e or IEEE 802.16m), 3GPP LTE, 3GPP2 AIE, IEEE 802.20 or other wireless network standards. Hence, for appropriate operational behavior in certain scenarios it is important that the management messages should be delivered reliably by the MS to BS and vice versa.
In one communication network standard, for example the IEEE 802.16 based WiMAX standard and its evolution, the method support reliable delivery of management message in a following manner. Initially, each management message is associated with a message timer. The message timer is different for different management messages because each management message includes different urgency and processing delay requirements. Further, the message timer is started as soon as the management message is given to signaling protocol, which is responsible for reliable transmission of the management message. Further, if the message timer expires, then the signaling protocol discards the management message and informs the protocol that has given the discarded management message for transmission. Thereby, the initiator protocol may reinitiate the transmission of management message.
In the above method, the management messages also can be fragmented if the management message is large. Further, the management message is said to be successfully transmitted when all the fragments of the management message are successfully received by a receiving device. The signaling protocol re-transmits the management message fragment or the entire message, respectively, if it determines that management message fragment or entire management message is lost before the message timer expires. The determination of loss is done based on the receiving device feedback.
However in the above method, the transmitting device transmits the management message or management message fragment using Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) at Physical (PHY) layer. The transmitting device considers local Negative-Acknowledge (NACK) after maximum HARQ retries (MAX HARQ RETRIES) are over for the HARQ packet including the management message or the management message fragment. However, in the method, the HARQ NACK to ACK error quick retransmission of the lost management message fragment is not possible. Hence, the entire message needs to be retransmitted after the response message timer expires. This adds to significant delay in recovery as the transmitting device keeps waiting for the response message or response message timer to expire after receiving HARQ ACK for all HARQ packets including management message fragments.
Hence, there exists a need to efficiently manage management transmission messages in the communication network.